About the job

Job summary

Are you interested in embarking on a career in procurement? Do you want to use your administrative and organisational skills to support major projects?

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Commercial Team at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. 

The Commercial Team’s objective is to ensure that the CMA procures goods and services of an appropriate quality in a manner that is cost-effective, consistent, transparent and compliant with civil service and public sector rules.  We collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that goods and services meet the needs of the business throughout their procurement life cycle.

Apprenticeship Eligibility

To be eligible to take part in the apprenticeship programme you must:

•  have lived in the UK and / or EU for 3 years prior to the apprentice start date;
• confirm this apprenticeship offers substantive new skills and knowledge to you.
• Applicants confirm they have not achieved an equivalent or higher-level qualification in a procurement or supply related subject
• Applicants confirm they have not achieved a qualification higher than a Bachelors Degree (or equivalent level) in any subject
• Applicants confirm they are not currently studying towards another apprenticeship.

What we can offer you

We recognise the value of work-life balance, offering hybrid working arrangements and flexible working options including part-time, compressed hours, and job share arrangements. You will be equipped with excellent technology tools and services that facilitate collaboration regardless of your location. Our modern, professional workplaces across the UK provide an exceptional working environment. Furthermore, we proactively promote mental and physical well-being through a diverse range of well-being initiatives, including an employee assistance programme and a supportive network of mental health first aiders. 

The CMA is a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. All CMA staff enjoy generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans and a cycle to work scheme.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

CMA – Working for the CMA , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Or our LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/competition-and-markets-authority/

Job description

Role summary

The Commercial Team’s principle objective is to ensure that the CMA procures external goods and services of an appropriate quality in a manner that is cost-effective, consistent, transparent and compliant with civil service and public sector rules.  We work with stakeholders across our organisation to ensure that goods and services meet the needs of the business throughout their procurement life cycle.

The successful applicant will be involved in supporting major procurement projects and provide transactional and administrative support to the Commercial Team. Procurement is broad with key spend categories including:

• People
• Technology
• Property & Facilities Management
• Market Research

An extensive programme of commercial transformation is underway providing an opportunity for involvement. The successful candidate will have responsibility for a distinct pieces of work also supporting other team members to deliver Commercial Team priorities.

Work will include:

• Working with CMA stakeholders to manage how commercial work is commissioned including, ensuring commercial advice is used and understood at an early stage.
• Undertaking market research and reviews and presenting results and recommendations to managers and stakeholders.
• Fully utilising processes and procedure to manage key procurement stages and supporting the wider team in doing likewise.
• Supporting the roll-out of improved contract management and category management processes.
• Acting as project support for our programme of commercial transformation.

These areas of work will directly support the delivery of the CMA’s strategic objectives and operational outputs.

The individual will have the opportunity to develop professional commercial skills alongside the full range of core competences. Professional development includes studying to achieve the Level 4 Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) qualification and undertaking Government Commercial Function training in Contract Management.

Your role:

Key responsibilities for this role are

• Supporting customers develop concise requirements.
• Market testing and supplier engagement.
• Coordinating commercial governance processes.
• Drafting tender, procurement strategies and contract documentation.
• Assisting on management, analysis and evaluation of tender responses
• Working closely with customers and the various service delivery functions to support the management of contracts, ensuring supplier performance.
• Support on the implementation of the Commercial Transformation programme.
• Assisting with contract changes and variations.
• Providing commercial advice to staff at all levels on all aspects of commercial activities.
• Supplier dispute support.

This job description is not exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indication of the areas of activity for these roles and may be amended in light of the changing needs of the organisation.

Person specification

The CMA is seeking to appoint the best qualified candidate for this role and welcomes applications from under-represented groups.

When completing your written application, please ensure you provide evidence and examples (as far as you are able), in response to the Essential Criteria below, and against which your application will be assessed.

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application.

If you do not meet the lead selection criteria in your application, the panel will not be required to score your application against the remaining essential criteria of the role.

Essential Criteria

• Evidence of strong administrative and organisational skills, including the ability to manage your work and prioritise successfully in order to meet deadlines (lead selection criteria)
• Examples of proficient use of Microsoft applications, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. (lead selection criteria)
• Evidence of good verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to research information on an issue with high attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with evidence of working collaboratively with others, including through working as part of a team.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £23,199, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £6,677 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation.  Interviews will be conducted on Microsoft Teams.

The sift will take place between 20 February to 23 February 2024.

If your application is successful you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. 

Interviews will be held week commencing 04 March 2024.

The first part of the interview will be a presentation, the topic of which will be shared nearer the time. Details will be forwarded before the interview. The second part of the interview will be a 1 hour panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours and Experience outlined in the role profile.  

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.